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(via IndieWire)
2011 Austin Film Festival Audience Award winners:
Out of Competition Feature:
“The Artist”
Writer/Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Narrative Feature Competition:
“Restive”
Writer/Director: Jeremiah Jones
Documentary Feature Competition: (Tie)
“Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters”
Director: Adam Cornelius
Details at Cinevue. New poster for We Need to Talk About Kevin, via Hitfix, after the cut.
Read MoreThanks to Tero for the heads up. Full press release via MCN:
Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival, Mimi Plauché, Head of Programming, and Programmers Penny Bartlett and Lee Ferdinand and Competitions Coordinator Alex Kopecky proudly announce the winners of the 47th Chicago International Film Festival Competitions. This year’s selection of more than 180 feature-length fiction films, documentaries and shorts was one of the strongest in the past decade.
International Feature Film Competition
Representing a wide variety of styles and genres, these works compete for the Festival’s highest honor, the Gold Hugo, a symbol of discovery, as well as awards for best actors, director and writer.
Gold Hugo to LE HAVRE (Finland/France) for the mastery of film director Aki Kaurismäki and his stylized yet very humane depiction of illegal immigration.
Silver Hugo for CAIRO 678 (Egypt) for addressing relevant social issues. It takes a strong stand on sexual harassment for women at home and work. It is a brave film for presenting women as an oppressor rather than a victim.
Silver Hugo for Best Actress to Olivia Colman in TYRANNOSAUR (UK) for an outstanding performance hitting every note showing her vulnerability, her power and her humor.
Silver Hugo for Best Actor to Maged El Kedwany in CAIRO 678 (Egypt) for his ability to bring balance to the story and light to a heavy tone. His presence draws you into every frame he is in.
Read More360
The Artist
The Deep Blue Sea
The Descendants
Faust
The Kid With A Bike
Shame
Trishna
We Need To Talk About Kevin
The shortlist for Best British Newcomer is:
Read MoreAudience Favorite Feature
50/50
Directed by Jonathan Levine
(USA, Summit Entertainment)
Runner-up
THE WOMEN ON THE 6TH FLOOR
Directed by Philippe Le Guay
(France, Strand Releasing)
Audience Favorite Documentary-shared
BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY
Directed by Constance Marks
(USA, Submarine Deluxe)
WILD HORSE, WILD RIDE
Directed by Alexandra Dawson and Greg Gricus
(USA, Fish Creek Films)
(thanks to iggy, for advising us to keep an eye out)
Golden Shell for Best Film
Los Pasos Dobles by Isaki Lacuesta (Spain, Switzerland)
Special Jury Prize
Le Skylab, Julie Delpy (France)
Audience Award
The Artist by Michel Hazanavicius (France)
FIPRESCI Award
Sangue Do Meu Sangue by Joao Canijo (Portugal)
The screenings of Day Eleven of TIFF provided a great way to end the festival. After the awards baity viewings of Shame, The Descendants, and Alert Nobbs, my final three films showed what the festival should be all about. My final films were all fun, yet they were also substantial, well-crafted pieces that prove that film can be art as well as entertainment. Moreover, all three are relatively small-scale films that might not receive as wide a release as they deserve. The last day of TIFF therefore yielded some of the festival’s hidden treasures.
The first gem to be uncovered was Violet & Daisy, the directorial debut by Geoffrey Fletcher, screenwriter of Precious. I was especially excited to see this film because the first TIFF Gala I ever attended was the 2009 screening of Precious. Never have I been in a room with the same level of energy that filled Roy Thomson Hall on the night that Oprah introduced Precious to the festival, where it then went on to claim the People’s Choice Award.
The screening room for Violet & Daisy was admittedly more subdued (what film wouldn’t be at nine in the morning). However, the film marks a pleasant start for Fletcher in the director’s seat, as he moves in a wholly different direction than Precious and offers something fresh and fun. Violet & Daisy is a farcical romp of girls and guns, with Saoirse Ronan and Alexis Bledel starring as a pair of hip young assassin chicks. Violet and Daisy take a seemingly simple hit on an unknown subject; however, when the man (James Gandolfini) becomes a willing accomplice in his own death, Violet and Daisy see both their work and their relationship enter territory for which they are unprepared. Think of a twin version of Hanna but without the transnational theme and the pulsating score of the Chemical Brothers.
Read MoreCadillac People’s Choice Award: Where Do We Go Now?
· First runner-up: A Separation
· Second runner-up: Starbuck
Cadillac People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary: The Island President
Cadillac People’s Choice for Midnight Madness: The Raid
Int’l Critics Special Presentations Prize: The First Man
Int’l Critics Discovery Programme Prize: Avalon
Best Canadian Feature: Monsieur Lazhar
SKYY Vodka Award for Best First Canadian feature: Edwin Boyd
Best CDN short film goes to: Ian Harnarine’s Doubles With Slight Pepper
Day eight of TIFF was light for movie-going, as I had only two films on the schedule. The day began with a resounding thud with a screening of That Summer (Un été brûlant). This new feature by French filmmaker Philippe Garrel pits two couples in romantic squabbles as they vacation together in Rome. That Summer ranks among the most flaccid infidelity dramas I have ever seen, aside from one great dance sequence in which Monica Bellucci heats up the screen. The early scenes of That Summer show promise, but the film ultimately becomes as empty and directionless as its four characters. Like an exasperated parent awaiting ‘Back to School’, Summer can’t end soon enough!
Read MoreBuyers at TIFF beware! A genuine crowd pleaser is still up for grabs! This morning’s screening of Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding drew raves from the full house at the Visa Screening Room. The film marks a repeat triumph for director Bruce Beresford, whose last film, Mao’s Last Dancer, took the runner-up spot for the Audience Award at TIFF 2009.
The top draw of the film is a winning return from Hollywood icon Jane Fonda. Despite a considerable decline in the frequency of the actress’s onscreen output, one leaves Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding with the impression that Fonda has been continually active throughout the years. The actress simply does not miss a beat in her hilariously groovy performance as Grace, a legendary hippie of Woodstock, New York. (Keep an eye on Fonda when it comes time to count the ballots for Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globes.) Grace is a fun character who draws heavily upon Fonda’s star persona – the protest scenes seem an especially nostalgic nod at “Hanoi Jane” – as well as the breezy energy of her exercise tapes.
Read MoreJason Reitman to serve as guest artist and will present a live reading of The Breakfast Club with surprise cast. The festival, beginning October 13, will premiere The Rum Diary and will also screen Martha Marcy May Marlene. Press release:
Read MoreLos Angeles (September 13, 2011) — Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) celebrates the launch of the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, presented by The New York Times, on Thursday, October 13. The inclusive series offers unique film experiences, bringing together Film Independent’s large community of filmmakers and wide spectrum of audiences, with LACMA’s commitment to presenting cinema in an artistic and historical context. The new program will present classic and contemporary narrative and documentary films, artists and their influences, emerging auteurs, international showcases, special guest-curated programs, in addition to conversations with artists, curators and special guests. Film Independent at LACMA is under the curatorial leadership of esteemed film critic Elvis Mitchell in collaboration with LACMA Film Coordinator Bernardo Rondeau and Film Independent’s programming team.
The day after seeing Take this Waltz, I attended a party at Sarah Polley’s alma mater, the Canadian Film Centre (CFC). Polley wasn’t in attendance, unfortunately, but spirits at the annual BBQ were high because several alumni have hotly buzzed films at the festival, including Waltz, Ingrid Veninger’s i am a good person/ i am a bad person, and Randall Cole’s 388 Arletta Avenue. CFC is Canada’s top school for advanced training in film, television, and new media. Oscar-nominated director Norman Jewison founded CFC, which also produces shorts and feature films, and it runs the WorldWide Shorts Film Festival (one of only three festivals accredited by the AMPAS). Aside from the school’s recent films, you might have seen CFC in the news lately when it was announced that director Christopher Nolan selected CFC as the charity of his choice to receive a $100,000 donation. The annual BBQ was a fun event overall and a nice celebration of Canadian talent during the festival.
My first screening of the day was Steve McQueen’s Shame, and was it ever an exciting one! One of the great things about the Venice/TIFF overlap is that enthusiasm builds considerably whenever a TIFF selection triumphs in Venice. Post-Venice, the ticket lines (and Twitter) are all a flurry with extra-anticipation. TIFF-goers were so eager for Shame that I arrived at the venue an hour and a half before the screening to find the ticket holders line beginning to wrap around a few streets.
Read More“They don’t make ‘em like they used to.” I would feel foolish making such a statement after seeing The Artist, the much-buzzed silent film of the festival circuit, for the film itself refutes the idea that movies have been in a decline the glory days of the silent era. If anything, the style and substance of The Artist demonstrate that the films of today are just as good as they were eighty years ago, if not better.
The Artist was a late addition to my TIFF line-up. You could also call it an early one, since my brother and I were so determined to get tickets that we both awoke in time for the festival’s final release of ‘same day’ tickets at 7am. Being a member, he got to the box office for seven, while I stayed at home to place an order online so that we could beat the members at the front of the queue. Oh, the things we do for film.
Read More
Golden Lion – Faust
Silver Lion – Shangjun Cai
Cinematography – Wuthering Heights
Screenplay – Alps
Volpi Cup Actor – Michael Fassbender, Shame
Volpi Cup for Best Actress – Deanie Yip, A Simple Life
Emerging young actor/actress Shota Sometani, Fumi Nikaido from the film, Himizu
Jury Prize – Terrafirma
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